Hi there. In the past 2 years, I've become more aware of how hard we must fight to preserve our rights and have personally vowed to become much more than a passive shooter just 'enjoying a day at the range'. I inherited my K-war vet father and uncles' appreciation for guns but politics was never part of the discussion growing up.

Having said this, I don't see a sticky or some compiler thread for how to become more politically effective. I'll admit, I'm a bit intimidated seeing these threads of "Fight ABXXX or Call your XXX to oppose YYY". I don't know where to start but I'm willing to learn and perhaps in my education I could compile a useful thread like i did in the Ammo forum (i originated, maintained and updated one of the biggest Wal-Mart ammo spotter threads for quite some time).

I've found my representatives at this website: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp

But beyond knowing their names, district numbers, and phone numbers, I don't know what I should be correlating when I see threads with representatives listed that are not my own.

For me, Obama's election was the catalyst to join the NRA. I literally joined that night.
We must fight to keep our rights and prevent this state and nation from becoming the Orwellian fascist state that the U.K. has become.

Dr. Peter Venkman

05-05-2009, 10:55 PM

Have Gene or BWiese's babies. That is the only way.

Exocet5

05-05-2009, 10:58 PM

ha. i found a better (safer?) way. I just donated to CGF.

383green

05-05-2009, 11:04 PM

Have Gene or BWiese's babies. That is the only way.

ha. i found a better (safer?) way. I just donated to CGF.

That's what you think. Gene and BWiese reproduce by budding, after being fertilized by CGF donations. Say hello to little ExoGene... :D

Sinixstar

05-05-2009, 11:58 PM

The best way to become politically effective - is to figure out what you're good at. There's no golden rule of "you must do X,Y,Z....".

When you're talking about political campaigns - no effort is made in vain. I wouldn't say this is exactly the same as say an election campaign - but a lot of the same guidelines apply. The guy sitting at home writing well thought out articulate letters to the local newspaper and to local politicians - is just as important as the lawyers arguing in front of SCOTUS. Perhaps they have a different scope of influence - but it's all important.In the end, it all goes back to figuring out what you're comfortable doing, what you're capable of doing, and what you enjoy and are good at doing. You figure those things out, co-ordinate efforts with the larger strategy (through outlets such as calguns or the NRA, or GOA) and have at it.

that's all it is.

yellowfin

05-06-2009, 12:18 AM

Someone had a list of 16 things you can do. Add to that list:

--- Get one or more out of state concealed carry licenses, and if you're in a good county in California get a CA license! Nevada, Utah, Florida, and Oregon are most common non resident licenses and can be had at reasonable prices. Having your right to carry when traveling is reason enough in itself, but equally importantly it acts as a vote for carry rights in general. In particular the goal is to show the non issuing counties of CA just how far out of line they are with denial of citizens who are qualified for daily carry almost everywhere else out of state but not in their area of residence, and how out of touch they are with their own people living right next door.

--- Be visible in your community. Church, social organizations, book clubs, sports, gyms, country clubs, etc. all need to see us as members of their community. We need to be seen every day, not just heard when the stuff is about to hit the fan. We are all everyday people--we need to be seen as such and not a barely existent hypothetical outcast class who can be treated by politicians and bureaurcrats in whatever manner they see fit.

---Once you have a CCW/CHL, show it whenever asked for ID. You'd be amazed at how many people have never seen one.

B Strong

05-06-2009, 5:25 AM

Hi there. In the past 2 years, I've become more aware of how hard we must fight to preserve our rights and have personally vowed to become much more than a passive shooter just 'enjoying a day at the range'. I inherited my K-war vet father and uncles' appreciation for guns but politics was never part of the discussion growing up.

Having said this, I don't see a sticky or some compiler thread for how to become more politically effective. I'll admit, I'm a bit intimidated seeing these threads of "Fight ABXXX or Call your XXX to oppose YYY". I don't know where to start but I'm willing to learn and perhaps in my education I could compile a useful thread like i did in the Ammo forum (i originated, maintained and updated one of the biggest Wal-Mart ammo spotter threads for quite some time).

I've found my representatives at this website: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp

But beyond knowing their names, district numbers, and phone numbers, I don't know what I should be correlating when I see threads with representatives listed that are not my own.

For me, Obama's election was the catalyst to join the NRA. I literally joined that night.
We must fight to keep our rights and prevent this state and nation from becoming the Orwellian fascist state that the U.K. has become.

Welcome aboard.

Everybody has something to contribute to our fight for the Second Amendment and Liberty in general, and you can start by writing your elected officals and telling them that you don't support any effort on their part to undermine 2A rights, and that you will withold your support from anyone that does so.

Do not in any way be intimidated by contacting these people - it's your right as a free citizen to do so, and your duty to do so in the event that said politicians infringe on civil rights.

Remember, a letter is better than an Email, an Email is better than a call, and a call is better than nothing.

The other thing you can do to fight the good fight is to start making a monthly donation to The Calguns Foundation. The CGF is on the front line of fighting for our Second Amendment rights, and they're fighting the right way. Thry deserve your support.

wash

05-06-2009, 7:30 AM

As much as I would love to jump in the trenches and fight, I realize that I'm not well suited for legal battles.

So I donate money.

I like that idea of using a CCW for id. I don't think I'll be open carrying any time soon. When I can vote for or against a candidate or bill to support the cause I do. I'm not confident enough in my spelling or grammar to write long letters to the editor.

Marches and tea parties sound good until one hick dressed in a wife-beater or camo says that the second amendment should allow him to buy and sell full auto weapons to anyone with no paperwork. It doesn't matter how everyone else looks, he will be the one getting the attention and scaring the soccer moms.

HunterJim

05-06-2009, 7:44 AM

I started sending a monthly amount to the pro-gun NGOs who were actively doing something after Heller came down. Recently most of the doing is Calguns related, so they have been getting my $ this year. I also rejoined CRPA.

After Nordyke I submitted a query to the Bureau of Firearms on their plan to inform Californian's powers that be on just how incorporation puts many California laws in jeopardy. I have not heard back yet (I usually do, but it takes weeks).

Yesterday I queried my Assemblyperson and my State Senator, requesting they support a change in California law to make us a shall-issue state. When they answer I will then call the staff and talk to the staffer working the issue, and follow that up with a meeting at the local office.

I am emphasizing to all concerned that we are talking about California's newest civil right, and asking that they get with the program.

jim

rkt88edmo

05-06-2009, 8:29 AM

When you see lists of committee members to call and you are not a member of their district - CALL ANYWAY! There isn't any reason not to submit your opinion when they are working on legislation that affects the entire state.

bwiese

05-06-2009, 8:34 AM

Best way to help is unify with other folks here...

- if you're not an NRA member, join!
- join your local NRA Member's Council.
- keep active here as well as monitor www.CalNRA.com (http://www.CalNRA.com) for alerts when to 'apply pain' to legislators & elected officials - it works!
- join CRPA, we need to get their numbers up so we have a 2nd *aligned* gun org in CA with tons of members
- CGF can use some spare nickels (or more) too...

wildhawker

05-06-2009, 8:38 AM

How about lending a hand at one of your local Calguns public outreach events (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/forumdisplay.php?f=170)?

pullnshoot25

05-06-2009, 9:18 AM

Have Gene or BWiese's babies. That is the only way.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Glock22Fan

05-06-2009, 12:23 PM

Learn as much as you can about the issues.

Be ready to communicate the truth on these in a calm dispassionate voice when you hear, or read, people getting them wrong.

For example, what would you say to my S.i.L. when she says "Of course assault rifles should be banned. Who needs a machine gun to shoot moose?"

(If you can convince her she's talking dribble, you're better at it than me.)

Swiss

05-06-2009, 4:10 PM

Remember, a letter is better than an Email, an Email is better than a call, and a call is better than nothing.

I've often wondered about this and I'm not saying I disagree, but can you give us more background on this statement? Where did you get this information?

B Strong

05-06-2009, 4:39 PM

I've often wondered about this and I'm not saying I disagree, but can you give us more background on this statement? Where did you get this information?

From the ACLU:

Tips on Writing Your Elected Officials

Letters and faxes are an extremely effective way of communicating with your elected officials. Many legislators believe that a letter represents not only the position of the writer but also many other constituents who did not take the time to write.

From Global Exchange:

1 Personal letters or faxes.

The absolute best thing to do is to write a personal letter. Personal letters show legislators that the author is knowledgeable, interested and committed to the matter at hand. Sending a personal letter also alerts the legislator to the fact that the author is politically active. Legislators keep close track of how their mail is running on particular issues, so your letter will have an influence whether the elected official will read it or not. Many legislators argue that one clear, logical individual letter is worth more than a petition with a thousand signatures!

2 Email correspondence

Email has become a very useful tool for quickly and effectively communicating with elected officials. Keep in mind, however, that email is easily deleted and often comes inoverwhelming numbers. A personal letter will always be more effective.

From the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute:

Telephone Contact

Telephone calls are the second most effective means of communication. While the legislator may not see your face, he/she will hear your voice and know that a real person is at the other end of the line.

Email Messages

As in private business, government has become quite dependent upon electronic mail systems, "email." Email, like personal computers, fax machines, pagers and wireless phones, has made accessibility to elected officials a non-issue. As an advocacy technique or tool, email can be as damaging as it can be helpful. Email is probably the least effective communication tool because it is the easiest -- composing an email message is quick, easy and cheap. Things to remember:

Legislators know how easy it is to send a message and weight email messages accordingly.

Email communication is also less effective due to the volume of email received by elected officials. Some lawmakers complain that they get so many emails from so many sources that they cannot read them all. Consequently, many emails are deleted without even being read.

Letter Writing

Writing letters makes efficient use of time. Letters get through even when telephone calls are not returned and provides a permanent record of your position.

I didn't get my information from either of these sources, but they were the easiest to find with Google. My information came from a local politician that told me he felt than every single letter he received represented a hundred individuals that didn't take the time or have the time to write.

Swiss

05-06-2009, 5:41 PM

Thanks for the backup. I'll try to get into letter writing instead of calling. I'll still email but also follow it with at least a phone call.